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5 Differences Between the United States’ and Canada’s Medical Cannabis Programs

As Canada prepares to legalize cannabis countrywide, many have wondered how its medical marijuana program compares to the United States’. Here are five key similarities and differences between each country’s medicinal cannabis guidelines.

Click to enlarge. (Amy Phung/Leafly)

Federal vs. State Regulation

The biggest notable difference between the Canadian and American medical marijuana systems is that Canada’s program is federally regulated, while America relies on separate state programs that vary significantly. Cannabis in the United States is prohibited at a federal level, which means each state must set up its own program individually, establishing possession limits, restrictions on cultivation, and nonstandard rules.

Canada, conversely, federally legalized medical cannabis in 2000, and the program has since undergone multiple incarnations. The Medical Marihuana Access Regulations (MMAR) was first established in 2001